John Place online

Is one of your children struggling in school? If so, I have 8 strategies to help you get him back on track.

Strategy 1: Avoid becoming frustrated with your child.  

My work as an academic tutor has allowed me to meet some remarkable people. I once met a young woman attending college (we’ll call her Brenda) who was so frustrated with school she was ready to drop out. Brenda was an intelligent young woman. Unfortunately, she had never learned to be successful. 

Brenda still remembers being 10 years old, sitting at the kitchen table, struggling to complete her homework.  She often wanted to ask for help, but she couldn’t ask her mother.  Brenda’s mother always got frustrated with her whenever she asked for help and sometimes resorting to pulling her hair, yelling at her, and calling her stupid.  Brenda was convinced of her own incompetence.  I managed to help Brenda pass her college courses, but she continues to struggle with her self-efficacy and self-esteem to this day.

Thankfully, most parents do not slap their children during study sessions. (If you do, get help immediately. No child deserves that.) However, many parents do become frustrated. Have you ever spent the better part of an hour trying to explain a seemingly simple concept to your child?  Has this ever frustrated you? Frustration is a natural reaction to any situation involving repeated failed attempts. So fight your natural reaction! I have never been a proponent of teaching self-esteem without self-efficacy, but treating a child rudely during study-sessions is no way to help her learn. If your child is trying, she deserves your patience.  

Strategy 2: Know where your child needs help.

Talk to his teachers. Review his report cards. Find out what classes give your child the most trouble, and find out why. You cannot address the problem until you understand it.

Strategy 3: Set aside mandatory study time, free of distractions.

Despite the fact that the frequency and duration of study sessions may depend upon the severity of your child’s academic problems, mandatory study time is not a punishment. It is an opportunity to help your child learn and grow. Requiring all-night study binges is excessive, but it’s perfectly reasonable to expect your child to spend a little time finishing homework before going out to play.

Give your child a quiet study area.  The modern world is full of televisions, radios, cell phones, computers, friends, loud conversations, and other distractions.  Expecting your child to master algebra in a noisy living room filled with talking and music is not reasonable. Nor should she be allowed to talk on the phone or browse the Web while she’s supposed to be memorizing key dates in American History.

Strategy 4: Be available to help during study sessions.

I know this is going to sound patronizing, but if your child comes to you for help, actually try!  I have met so many parents who stare at their child’s algebra book for two seconds and then become frustrated and say, “It’s been so long since I’ve done that, I can’t help.”  Perhaps you could read the examples and give it a shot.  If it turns out you cannot help, at least you tried, and you can turn your attention toward finding your child a mentor or tutor. Having someone available to provide quality instruction will make a world of difference.

Strategy 5: Help your child set reasonable goals.

When it comes to school, many parents say they just want their child to try his best.  On the surface, this seems diplomatic and high-minded.  Beneath the surface, however, it has a flaw: It fails to set clear goals and ignores the child’s unique capabilities.  You know your child better than anyone. If you want to maximize your child’s learning and achievement in school, try helping her set specific goals that are attainable yet challenging. 

Strategy 6: Help your child develop good study techniques.

Every student I have worked with has responded to my memorization technique,  which is helpful for classes that test your ability to memorize dates, names, and other facts. That’s one place you can start. For classes that involve problem solving, such as math, practice makes perfect. Remember, if your child can’t solve a particular type of problem prior to the test, she sure won’t be able to solve it during the test!

Strategy 7: Make sure your child completes every assignment.

Nothing will hurt your child’s grades faster than a zero in the grade book. It’s better to submit incomplete or late (if allowed) assignments than to neglect assignments completely. In other words, a 50% is much better than a zero. When it comes time for the teacher to total up your child’s grades at report-card time, every point will count.

Strategy 8: Help your child understand the point-structure of the class and of individual assignments.

When I was in high school, my political science teacher assigned us the task of organizing a mock political campaign. The assignment contained the following deliverables:

1. A written description of our party’s political platform
2. A campaign slogan
3. A campaign poster
4. A campaign speech

I have always loved art, so I spent most of my time drawing the world’s greatest campaign poster. Oh man, you should have seen this thing!  Seriously, this was one awesome poster.  It was a colored-pencil rendering of a giant eye-ball, the world reflected on its lens.  My classmates gasped in amazement!  And my beautiful poster earned a perfect grade.

Much to my dismay, I later learned that the campaign poster was only worth 10% of the total grade. The party platform was the big hitter, at 60 percent. I failed that assignment because of poor prioritization.

Don’t let your child make the same mistake.

Let her know it’s important to know where the points in the class are coming from and to triage accordingly whenever necessary.

These are 8 strategies that I have picked up over the years, and I have found each to be very helpful for parents of struggling students. The bottom line is that if you love, support, and encourage your young student while providing practical guidance and expecting real results, you will see improvement.

Related Articles:

• The #1 Secret to Coasting Through College
• Top 4 Reasons Adults Shouldn't Fear Algebra
• How to Memorize Anything
• How to Improve Your Grades in a Class You're Failing

If you liked this article, make sure you subscribe to my feed via RSS or email.

Learn More About John Place
Check Out the Main Page